Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara review: fanned-out lashes that won’t smudge

It's fair to say Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara is something of a sensation. It has clocked up tens of thousands of customer reviews online, with a rating of 4.7 out of 5. Impressive stuff, especially when you consider it only launched in 2021. But why has this luxury mascara set the internet alight? 

Lancôme has good form when it comes to creating some of the best mascara offerings in the market. Lash Idôle Mascara is the brand’s second best-selling mascara, hot on the heels of the iconic Hypnôse Mascara, which reigns supreme as one of the best volumizing mascaras of all time. But could Lash Idôle soon steal its crown? 

Backed by decades of research, Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara features a nifty brush with 360 micro bristles and a weightless gel formulation that together delivers lift, definition, and length. The mascara claims to have a 140% eye-opening effect, something we've investigated in-depth and found to be entirely plausible. Lashes go from fine and spindly to long, lifted, and inky black.

When you consider that mascara has a shelf-life of just three months, Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara is on the more expensive end of the spectrum so won't suit anyone on the hunt for the best drugstore mascara. But there is plenty to recommend this ultra-glamorous lash-lifter, which more than justifies the higher price tag. 

Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara review

Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara packaging

Lash Idôle Mascara has got that French-girl chic down. It’s classy, graceful, and sleek with an ultra-slim, squared-off tube dressed in rose gold with bold black accents. It’s not as immediately eye-catching as, say, some of the best Maybelline mascaras, but what it lacks in bold fonts and funky colors, it makes up for in understated elegance. Inspired by elements of Lancôme Idôle Eau de Parfum, like the faceted slimline flacon and soft pink metallic hue, this is a mascara that looks and feels expensive. The outer cardboard carton mirrors the black and rose gold colorway, with an impressive before and after image that would immediately convince us to hot foot it to the till and whack out the credit card.

What's the formula like?

Here’s where this mascara really excels. It has a gel emulsion formula, which feels weightless on the lashes and can be layered without fear of creating clumpy spider lashes. This gel-based formulation also claims to last for up to 24 hours without smudging, smearing, or flaking (more on that later) Of course, the proof of the mascara is in the wearing—in a seven-day consumer test of 103 women, 93% agreed the mascara doesn’t flake. 

The mascara glides onto lashes creating a smooth, inky-black finish. It’s kind too—the formula is infused with white tea extract to condition lashes as it envelops them in a jet-black veil, much like the best eyelash grower serums. If you’re someone who likes their lashes on the big and bold side, this isn’t going to give you that eyebrow-tickling, false lash effect. One coat creates fluttery definition but a second does amp up the thickness and volume of the eyelashes. 

What's the brush like?

A lot of thought has gone into the brush design. The head has an impressive 360 micro-bristles in different lengths to load and lift every lash, even the teeny-tiny ones in the inner corner. The length of the wand is on the shorter side but we found that actually gives more control over application. 

The brush is gently curved, again to help capture every single eyelash. It also means you can really get the wand in at the roots, which helps to lift the lashes. If you’re someone with poker-straight, sticky-outy lashes, this will go some way to help tease the lashes upwards and could save you a bit of time and effort using an eyelash curler, which as we all know is usually a crucial step in learning how to apply mascara like a pro. 

Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara results

We know it’s a little naughty but for the purposes of diligent journalism, we put the 24-hour claim of Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara to the test by sleeping in it. We’re pleased to report that we woke up to the same glamorous flutter with just a few near-imperceptible specks on one eyelid (clearly the side we sleep on), and no black smears on the white pillowcase! 

Now clearly, this mascara is not designed for sleeping in. No mascara is. But it's good to know that if you apply it at 7am, make it through a day at the office, happen upon an all-night rave then stumble home again at 7am, your mascara will still look amazing (while you'll feel anything but.)

Surprisingly for such a steadfast formula, removal-wise things are pretty simple. A double go-around with a cream cleanser did the trick, and it's just as effortless using a cotton pad and a splash of eye make-up remover (or one of the best micellar waters). 

w&h verdict

You won't achieve monster volume with Lancôme Lash Idôle Mascara, instead, it’s like a lash tint with benefits since you’re also profiting from fanned-out, voluminous lashes. Even faced with the kind of bracing wind that makes your eyes water, this mascara didn’t leave the slightest hint of a sooty trail down the cheek. It stayed completely intact—no smearing or flaking. And if you like to coat your lower lashes, you can do so without fear it’s going to make a smudgy imprint on your under-eye area. 

In essence, this is a solid all-rounder of a mascara. It lengthens like a champ, it achieves decent volume and it really does stay put all day and then some. Plus, pretty packaging and general French luxuriousness never fail to boost a product's desirability.